Former NBA player brings serious message to Gaston students

Published: Thursday, October 3, 2013 at 05:30 PM.

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“It’s really all about your choices. Your friends don’t make the person you are,” Henninger said. “Granted if you hang around with some of the wrong people, you’re going to make wrong decisions. But at the end of the day, it’s all up to you.”

A former pro basketball player told Gaston County students to choose their friends wisely. Adrian Branch, who played for the Los Angeles Lakers when the team won its 1987 NBA championship, made a stop at Hunter Huss High School on Thursday. Branch now works as an on-air analyst for ESPN, but told stories of his days on the court to 1,100 students in the school auditorium.

He talked about making good decisions and urged students not to bully other kids. For the past few weeks, Branch has shown up at all of Gaston’s public middle and high schools. His visits coincide with Rachel’s Challenge, the bullying prevention program named for Rachel Scott. She was the first person killed in the 1999 Columbine High School shooting in Colorado. Teens screamed and applauded when Branch selected students to join him onstage for a high-five.

“I like the fact that he came here. Many people see Gastonia as a small town,” said Huss junior Johnnie Henninger. “For him to come down here and recognize us, it makes me feel good. It’s a big deal.”

Sharing his bling: As Branch walked the aisles of the school auditorium, student eyes fixed on his NBA championship ring. He asked if anyone wanted to try on the $10,000 symbol of his NBA success. Hundreds leapt to their feet. Branch pointed to sophomore Liza Velez and motioned for her to join him onstage.

She was quick to slip the proffered ring on her finger. He then let her take the ring back to her seat and wear it for the remainder of his speech. “It has diamonds in the middle of it,” she said. “I was like, ‘Wow.’ It was shocking.” She’s now interested in learning more about Branch, who played basketball for the University of Maryland before going pro. “If I had something like that, I wouldn’t let anybody touch it,” she said.

Storied past: Branch played four NBA seasons in the late 1980s for the Lakers, New Jersey Nets, Portland Trail Blazers and the Minnesota Timberwolves. He shared a few memories about a state to which students can relate: being the odd man out. He remembers driving his Volkswagen into the parking lot he shared with Lakers teammates.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar parked a Rolls-Royce next to him. Gastonia native James Worthy parked his BMW sedan nearby, Branch told the students. Henninger, a fan of Branch’s commentary work with ESPN, took several lessons away from the speech on Thursday.

“It’s really all about your choices. Your friends don’t make the person you are,” Henninger said. “Granted if you hang around with some of the wrong people, you’re going to make wrong decisions. But at the end of the day, it’s all up to you.”